Individual Health Insurance: A Purchasing Overview

Written By: Brian McCracken on June 3, 2010 No Comment

Insuring yourself against the possibility of the onset of a health problem is important, especially since medical bills are expensive nowadays. Buying individual health insurance is typical of citizens who are either unemployed, self-employed or part of a small company. Medium-sized to large-sized companies offer group health insurance as mandated by the law as well as a benefit for being an employee. Usually, you would be required to pay a portion of the health insurance.

But if you do not belong in a large or medium-size company, then buying individual health insurance of your own is necessary. It may be costly to regularly pay for the insurance, but it is much less expensive then uninsured medical bills. Several insurance companies offer individual health insurance, like Blue Cross ? Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente and ehealthinsurance.

Once you have contacted an insurance agent, you can discuss the insurance plan and coverage that best fits your needs. Usually, an insurance agent will assess your health risk by knowing your lifestyle, your work environment and your family history. When buying individual health insurance, you must truthfully answer the questions regarding these categories because this is what the agent will use to find the right individual insurance plan for you.

With regards to your lifestyle, you will be asked questions like diet, smoking habits, drinking habits, the drugs that you have used for your past illnesses and more. The insurance company would also like to know what health problems you have had in the past and the health problems that you currently have.

They would also like to know about your work environment. If you work in a place in a place that occasionally or regularly exposes you to hazards, like chemicals and radiation, would increase the likelihood of you becoming sick. The higher the risk you have of getting sick, the higher premium you would have to pay. If you have little possibility of becoming sick, then the lesser the premium that you have to pay.

They want to know what illnesses or health problems struck your family members. This is how they can assess the likely health problems that you might have in the future. Once the agent assesses your current health condition, and have presented you with a possible health care plan, there are some things that you have to do as well. Go through the entire plan offered to you. You should look for the following items:

1. Amount of premium you need to pay.

2. Whether the payment mode is bi-monthly, monthly, quarterly and so on.

3. How much or how long you are required to pay before you can avail of the health insurance.

4. Which health services are covered and Which are not.

5. Is there a coverage limit? (annually or per incident)

6. Provisions regarding your pre-existing condition

7. Which doctors, clinics and hospitals are included in the health insurance company?s network? This is very important especially if you already have a doctor that you frequently visit.

These are just some of the things that you need to be wary of when buying individual health insurance for yourself or for your close family members.

Melanie Lluch writes for Team God. She knows the importance of buying individual health insurance to be able to live without worries that you will have something to lean on for those times when you really need it.